Farmer attempts suicide due to illegal possession of his land

Alleging illegal possession of his land by a wind energy company, a farmer tried to commit suicide by setting himself ablaze outside the District Collector's office here today, police said.
He has been identified as Govind Varagiya, a resident of Sadodar village in Jamjodhpur taluka of this district in Gujarat.
According to police sources, Varagiya had threatened to end his life after writing a purported letter to the local police and to the District Collector.
In his letter dated April 10, Varagiya stated that he gave his Sadodar-based land on lease to a private wind energy company from 2004 to 2007.

However, when he demanded his land back after the three-year agreement ended, Varagiya claimed that the company illegally installed two windmill towers and eight eletricity poles on his land.
"When the matter reached court, where the verdict was in my favour, I asked the company to vacate the land. However, instead of doing that, I have been harassed by the company's agents who filed many police and court complaints against me," Varagiya's letter to the Collector stated.

Varagiya had written that since he is unable to bear the company's "torture", he would set himself on fire if the matter is not resolved by the authorities.

After Varagiya reached the Collector's office today, he was detained by the police.
"After reaching outside the office, he opened a bottle of kerosene and poured it on himself. However, before he could immolate himself, we detained him," Jamnagar 'A' division police sub-inspector R D Rathod said.